A New Technology Changing Biomolecular Analysis

SPR technology

The proprietary FOx Biosystems technology uses the well-established Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) principle for biomolecular interaction analyses. The SPR effect is achieved by coupling a white light source through a bifurcated fiber to the fiber optic sensor probe. In this consumable probe, the light interacts with a 50 nm gold layer and senses the refractive index up to ~200 nm away from the outer surface. At the pigtail end of the probe, light is reflected back through the bifurcated fiber to a spectrometer, allowing to simply dip the sensor in any liquid.

The resonance condition is monitored by tracking the wavelength position at which a minimum intensity of light is reflected. The sensor probe is coupled to a cost-effective, high-end analytical benchtop instrument that enables real-time analysis of bio-molecular interactions.

FOx Biosystems turned an optical fiber into a mass sensitive single use sensor. The fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (FO-SPR) sensor is coated with bioreceptor molecules which can bind to the target molecules of interest. The binding of the target biomolecules changes the refractive index resulting in a sensor signal.

This sensor technology can be used labelled or label-free enabling the quantification of specific proteins, small molecules, DNA or cells in microliter volumes. The ability to detect different target molecules with one-single device is a key differentiator compared to competing technologies. In a few minutes time frame, the FOx Biosystems technology can provide information on the binding affinity, kinetics and target concentration.